Russian Roulette
by HowAboutThat
Summary: Russian Roulette isn't a game to be taken lightly, and Stanley Pines knows this for sure when he finds himself playing the biggest gambling game of his life. One bullet. Six chambers. Two players. Two will enter, but one will leave. [Other Genres: Family, (A Little Bit Of) Angst, Tragedy][Rated T: Obvious Reasons, Character Death][Four/Five-shot]
1. Chapter 1

HAT: I don't know what the crap made me decide to write this, but my excuse is that Rihanna's song... kiiiinda inspired this... enjoy!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls or it's characters, just this plot and OCs.**

* * *

How had he managed to get himself into this?

Currently he's sitting in front of a man named Peter who sits with his cold brown eyes locked on him and a smirk in his features. Stan resists the urge to run his fingers through his brown locks nervously and instead looks back at the man with his best poker face.

One of the men place a gun and a bullet in front of Stanley and he takes an involuntary gulp. He checks the cylinder to see if all six slots are empty and then sees if the barrel is clean. He places a bullet inside and spins the cylinder a couple of dozen times to see if it was rigged and he didn't know if he was relieved or not. This time when he closes it to spin it, he doesn't look at it and focuses on the man in front of him to see if he is looking. Once it stops he places the gun in the muddle of the table and retracts his hand back to his lap.

"Heads or tails," the man that placed the gun in front of him asks, holding a clean coin.

"Tails," Stan says.

The man flips the coin and it lands on the table. Stanley leans forward and sees that it's landed on heads and he looks at Peter who casually moves his black hair away from his face before sliding the gun over to Stanley.

When Stanley hesitates in taking the gun and his hands noticeably shake, Peter says in his deep, gravely voice, "Calm down and breathe, count to three and then shoot... and perhaps it's best if you closer your eyes, it may help..."

Stanley nods and takes several breaths to calm himself and pushes the hammer down with his thumb. His heart is thumping wildly and his entire _being_ doesn't want him to do this. He licks his lips and stares at the gun as it glints in the artificial light- it's a nice gun, that's for sure. It was polished so that the silver shined no matter how week the lighting and it feels nice in his hands- or it would if he didn't have to put it to his head to shoot himself.

 _Do it... do it,_ Stanley thinks while placing the cool metal against his temple and closing his eyes. He can't seem to hide his fear now- he could be about to kill himself and he knows it. After a few seconds of encouraging himself he pulls the trigger.

He nearly cries with relief when he hears the click of the hammer going back into place. He manages to gather his emotions a little bit now and places it on the center of the table in front of him and tries to hide the fact that his hands are shaking violently with adrenaline and fear.

Peter reaches forward calmly and picks up the gun. He uses his thumb to push down the hammer and once it clicks he presses it to his temple and puts his finger on the trigger. Stanley _dearly_ hopes that the bullet is in the chamber and that it will end all of this within seconds.

Slowly the man pulls the trigger and there's a click as the hammer goes back into place.

"Your turn," Peter says while placing the gun back on the table.

Stanley takes the grin once again and he mentally says goodbye to everyone- his Ma, Pa, and siblings, even a few friends. As he repeats the process of boosting his courage he says a desperate prayer to get him through this alive.

 _Okay... just... pull the trigger,_ Stanley thinks while gritting his teeth. His odds of survival are 75% at this point and even though the odds are so well stacked in his favor, he can't help the bubble of fear that grows in his chest. After several more seconds of building up his courage he pulls the trigger and it clicks harmlessly- much to his relief.

"You're going good," Peter says as he takes the gun and- without hesitation- presses down the hammer, almost as if he's soothing Stan before he dies, giving him that last reassurance. When he pulls the trigger it clicks and he pushes the gun forward. "You're doing fine. Go with bravery and in peace."

There's a 50/50 chance that he'll come out alive. He doesn't like those odds- he likes the 75% in his favor better at this point. He glances at the man across from the table and comes to the horrible realization that this man... this man has _played_ Russian Roulette before. This man has _survived_ which means that everyone he's ever faced as _died._ That _he_ will probably die.

He's terrified and beads of sweat are trailing down his face- when did he start sweating?

 _Just do it, it's better for everyone anyway,_ Stanley thinks while feeling the unnaturally cool metal on his temple. He feels a tear slip out of his eye and he can see his life flash before his eyes and he can't help but think that he'll never see another day.

 _Go with bravery and in peace._

And then he pulls the trigger.

* * *

HAT: AAAAAHHHHHH! Don't kill me!

Stan: ... did... Did you just... _kill me?_

HAT: Eep! *laughs nervously* Um... see, about that... funny story, I- *takes off running*

Stan: Get back here, HAT! *takes off running after her*

*camera moves to show Stan running after HAT out of the studio and then moves back to the stage*

Director: *groans* Ugh, great... *stands in front of camera* Review everybody!


	2. Chapter 2

HAT: Autocorrect doesn't like me with some words so... yeah... anyway, this isn't the one that's gonna break me... I think... let you know at the end. For now enjoy!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls or it's characters, just this plot and OCs.**

* * *

Twenty-four years is a long time not to do something.

It's been twenty-four years since he's played that godforsaken game- Russian Roulette- and he's not exactly happy being forced to play now. He's played all of three times in his life and each time left him more rattled than the last. He's played with death too many times.

He can still remember his first game and who he played it with. Peter- he can't recall a last name and that's probably because it was hard to pronounce- who had the coldest brown eyes he'd seen to this day and wavy- almost curly- black hair. He was wearing all white that day. Even down to the soles of the shoes- though how, Stan's never questioned- never really got the chance. He remembers Peter's disappointed frown when the hammer clicked back into place. He had let him go while muttering the same words he'd said right before Stan pulled that trigger- " _Go with bravery and in peace._ " Stan didn't have to be told twice and he left as fast as was physically possible.

Now he sits in front of his opponent with a gun- freshly bought- resting in between them.

He hears a quiet whimper behind the man sitting in front of him and looks at his great-niece tied up with her mouth covered by cloth. She's the reason he's playing. She's the reason he hasn't followed his instincts and run away with all his cash already. For her he needs to be brave and not be a coward anymore- _no more running_.

He wants to reassure his niece that everything will be fine and that they'll get to go home at the end of the day, they'll get to go home and eat as much candy and cake as they can eat, but he can't bring himself to lie to her like that. In truth, it may be only her that makes it out of here alive out of the two of them.

"Are you scared?" the man in front of him asks, single eye flashing menacingly.

Yes, but he just snarls at the man, "Let's get this over with, Enrique."

They used to be friends- why couldn't he have one friend that he can trust?- but Enrique got in too deep and things didn't work out so well and they had a falling out. One thing led to another and Enrique's wanted Stan's head ever since and apparently even faking his death has done nothing to detour him.

"Of course, Stanley," Enrique says, and puts a gun and a bullet in front of Stanley.

Enrique's only played this game once before and isn't as experienced at Stan so when he sees that it's rigged he keeps his poker face and places the bullet inside and spins it. Just because it's rigged doesn't mean that his chances are that much better- in fact, that may be just that much worse. His chances are not much better than if it weren't rigged.

"Who's first?" Stanley asks.

"You," Enrique says.

"Sweetie, close your eyes," Stanley calls to Mabel, his voice strong, but his heart breaking- she shouldn't have to go through this at such a young age or at any age really.

When he's sure she's no longer looking he pushes down the hammer and places the muzzle to his forehead. He keeps his poker face and looks directly in Enrique's eyes defiantly and pulls the the trigger. The relief that he hasn't died is more than he thought it would.

It's one of the next three- that he's sure of. He finds himself praying that it's this one- damn it all, he wants this to be over with- but when Enrique pulls the trigger- flinching while doing so- the hammer clicks back into place.

Stanley's heart sinks and he takes the gun and glances at his niece- she's peeking. "Mabel. _No. Peeking._ "

She closes her eyes and he pulls the trigger and it clicks. He breathes a sigh of relief and hands it to Enrique whose hands shake- he knows that it's this one or the next one and he's terrified.

"Go with bravery," Stanley says, sympathy coloring his voice. Enrique- for a moment- has a look in his eyes that reminds Stanley of the old times- before they fell out- and he wishes dearly it didn't have to end this way. After that his eyes flash with anger and his hand moves to point it at Stanley. "Do you really wanna do it like that? Take the coward's way out?"

Enrique bangs his fist on the table and Mabel jumps and screams in alarm, but she doesn't open her eyes. Tears make his eyes twinkle, but they don't fall- he's got too much pride for that. "Damn you... You were always the better one out of us..."

"Not really," Stanley mutters.

Enrique puts the trigger to his head and looks Stanley in the eye. " _Adios, mi hermano..._ "

" _Adios, mi hermano,_ " Stanley mutters and then the trigger is pulled and a bullet goes into his head.

He'd gotten Mabel out before she could see the damage that was done and get someone to clean up the mess made, but he walked away with a heaviness in his heart...

* * *

HAT: ... why am I writing this?

Dipper: I don't know!

HAT: And the next one's gonna kill me... it's gonna murder me...

Dipper: What do you have planned?!

HAT: NONSPECIFIC EXCUSE! *runs away*

Dipper: Review, everyone. *chases after Hat*

Director: _Why does she do things to get chased by everyone?!_


	3. Chapter 3

HAT: Welp... enjoy this if you can because there is character death.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls or it's characters, just this plot and OCs.**

* * *

" **AHAHAHAHAHAHA! I win, Sixer!** " Bill laughs in Stanley's body with the Rift in hand.

Stanley floats helplessly to the side- what can he do to help? He might as well be dead already! There's nothing to do except try to trick Bill into something, but what could he do? Nothing comes to mind, he can't-

He's going to hate himself for this, but he has no choice.

" _Wait!_ " Stanley shouts, flying in front of Bill before he can slam down the Rift.

" **What? You're already lost,** " Bill replies, lowering his hand.

"Stanley, what're you doing?" Stanford demands, but Stanley ignores him- it's not like he'd be able to hear him anyway.

" _Let's play a game. Whoever wins gets what they want,_ " Stanley says, hoping dearly that this triangle demon will be intrigued.

Bill lowers Stanley's hand and raises an eyebrow. " **I'm listening.** "

" _It's called Russian Roulette. One gun, one bullet, two players, one winner. Whoever ends up with a bullet in his head loses,_ " Stan explains quickly, selling this game as best he can.

" **And who's gonna be the second player?** " Bill demands cockily- like he won't expect Stanley to nominate anyone.

It kills him to say this, but it's better than the kids. " _Stanford... Just gimme a little control of my body so that it's fair- 'kay?_ "

" **What do each of us get if we win?** "

" _If you win, you get the Rift and get to do whatever you want- just leave the kids and my employees alone... if Stanford wins, he gets the Rift, you leave and never body my family or this dimension ever again,_ " Stanley says.

" **Hmmm... alright, you've got a deal!** " The demon says and then snaps his fingers.

Stanley gets sucked up into his body and he feels the other presence and it makes him sick to his stomach. He rubs his temple and looks up at his brother with one eye his own and the other Bill's eye. His heart sinks- he just put his brother's life on the line and hadn't even consulted him.

Stanley walks forward and everyone flinches in fear. "I-it's me- for now... I just wanna get the kids to a safe place before..."

"Tell me something that only Stan knows," Stanford growls.

"'Ford, we don't have time for this," Stanley says tiredly and then sighs when his brother won't relent. "What can I do when he knows all of our memories? Huh?"

Stanford wavers and Stanley walks forward and takes each child's hand and drags them to the closet and puts them inside before locking the door.

Stanford places the gun to the back of his head and says coldly, "Let them out, right now."

"Stanley I made a deal with him... you and I've gotta play Russian Roulette," Stanley says, getting the nearest revolving gun and taking out all but one bullet. "We'll play outside- that way you won't have to clean up much."

Stanford stares at his brother. "What?"

" **He's right, Sixer! Fez here made a bet- whoever wins gets what they want and whoever loses gets a bullet in their head!** "

"What?" Stanford demands. "How could you-"

"It was the only thing I could do to keep him from breaking the Rift! It's our only chance so are you going to play or am I gonna have to do it for us?!"

"Fine..." Stanford follows his brother into the woods with a downtrodden look on his face.

This is the only time that Stanley wishes desperately that he loses a game of Russian Roulette.

Stanley stops and spins the cylinder. He turns around to face his brother and presses the gun to his head while pushing the hammer and pulls it without hesitation, but much to both his disappointment and relief (instinct was very strong still) the hammer clicks into place. He tosses the gun to his brother and bites his bottom lip while praying for his brother's safety.

Stanford's got shaky hands- after all it's his first time so it's to be expected- and he pushes the hammer down and gulps.

"Breathe, Sixer, take your time," Stanley says while placing the Rift in a small nook in a tree after making sure animals are inside.

Stanford nods and presses the gun to his temple and pulls the trigger.

 _Click!_

Stanford trembles with relief and Stanley walks forward and takes the gun from his brother's hand and holds the gun to his temple.

" **This is getting intense!** " Bill says with his voice quivering in excitement.

"I'm sorry for everything, Stanford... for the project, the portal, the name stealing- everything."

Stanford seems to choke up and he says, "I'm sorry for not standing up to dad and not bothering to contact you until I needed you and not telling you about Bill... and for everything... I'm a horrible brother."

Stanley shakes his head. "No you're not."

"Look who's saying that! You're willing to kill yourself for me! And I'm doing noth... nothing to stop you," Stanford sobs.

Stanley hugs his brother with one arm and gulps. "Shh, shh... you're not a horrible brother... you just realize that the kids are more important and that for them to be okay I have to die."

"I-I love you, Stan," Stanford whimpers as he clings to his brother and Stanley forces his brother off of him and backs away and presses the gun onto his temple.

Stanley smiles. "Love you, too, 'Ford... tell the kids I love them, too," he murmurs before he pulls the trigger and a bullet ends up in his head.

His body collapses and his eyes become lifeless within moments.

Stanford collapses and sobs over his brother's body while trying not to throw up, but he fails- after all, his brother just blew his own brains out in order to save the entire world. He'd covered his brother's body with his trench coat, grabbed the Rift, and dragged his body all the way back to the Shack to be taken care of and by the time he gets there his trench coat's blood-soaked, but Stanleys head's covered so the kids won't see what had become of their grunkle. Soos had come and let the twins out and after Stanford explained what happened he sent them to their room and had Soos help him dig a grave for Stanley.

It was silent work, but they got it a little over six feet deep (slightly taller than Soos just in case) before they put Stanley's body inside. All the while Stanford's regretting everything that's led to this moment. Even right down to not standing up for his brother when their father kicked him out- his brother wouldn't be dead right now if he'd done a lot of things different.

"Dude... if it's any consolation... I don't think this was for fault," Soos says as he begins patting the dirt into place. "And I don't think the twins or Mr. Pines think it is either."

"How...?"

"It's written all over your face," Soos replies.

Stanford looks away guiltily. "But it is... and it's my burden to carry."

 _For the rest of my life..._

* * *

HAT: Is it sad that I took H80NP's comment and said, "Challenge accepted?"

Wendy: Yes! Yes it is!

HAT: And it only might get worse.

Wendy: *facepalm* Good, grief...

HAT: So... uh... the thing?

Wendy: Please review, everyone while I go home and rethink everything involving HAT.


	4. Chapter 4

HAT: Okay, this may seem repetitive, but the ending turns out different and... yeah, just roll with is. After watching last night's episode and writing this... I am emotionally spent so... don't read this until you're emotionally prepared if you watched last night's episode. Okay, there's my fair warning... enjoy, I guess.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls or it's characters, just this plot and OCs.**

* * *

" **AHAHAHAHAHAHA! I win, Sixer!** " Bill laughs in Stanley's body with the Rift in hand.

Stanley floats helplessly to the side- what can he do to help? He might as well be dead already! There's nothing to do except try to trick Bill into something, but what could he do? Nothing comes to mind, he can't-

He's going to hate himself for this, but he has no choice.

" _Wait!_ " Stanley shouts, flying in front of Bill before he can slam down the Rift.

" **What? You're already lost,** " Bill replies, lowering his hand.

"Stanley, what're you doing?" Stanford demands, but Stanley ignores him- it's not like he'd be able to hear him anyway.

" _Let's play a game. Whoever wins gets what they want,_ " Stanley says, hoping dearly that this triangle demon will be intrigued.

Bill lowers Stanley's hand and raises an eyebrow. " **I'm listening.** "

" _It's called Russian Roulette. One gun, one bullet, two players, one winner. Whoever ends up with a bullet in his head loses,_ " Stan explains quickly, selling this game as best he can.

" **And who's gonna be the second player?** " Bill demands cockily- like he won't expect Stanley to nominate anyone.

It kills him to say this, but it's better than the kids. " _Stanford... Just gimme a little control of my body so that it's fair- 'kay?_ "

" **What do each of us get if we win?** "

" _If you win, you get the Rift and get to do whatever you want- just leave the kids and my employees alone... if Stanford wins, he gets the Rift, you leave and never body my family or this dimension ever again,_ " Stanley says.

" **Hmmm... alright, you've got a deal!** " The demon says and then snaps his fingers.

Stanley gets sucked up into his body and he feels the other presence and it makes him sick to his stomach. He rubs his temple and looks up at his brother with one eye his own and the other Bill's eye. His heart sinks- he just put his brother's life on the line and hadn't even consulted him.

Stanley walks forward and everyone flinches in fear. "I-it's me- for now... I just wanna get the kids to a safe place before..."

"Tell me something that only Stan knows," Stanford growls.

"'Ford, we don't have time for this," Stanley says tiredly and then sighs when his brother won't relent. "What can I do when he knows all of our memories? Huh?"

Stanford wavers and Stanley walks forward and takes each child's hand and drags them to the closet and puts them inside before locking the door.

Stanford places the gun to the back of his head and says coldly, "Let them out, right now."

"Stanley I made a deal with him... you and I've gotta play Russian Roulette," Stanley says, getting the nearest revolving gun and taking out all but one bullet. "We'll play outside- that way you won't have to clean up much."

Stanford stares at his brother. "What?"

" **He's right, Sixer! Fez here made a bet- whoever wins gets what they want and whoever loses gets a bullet in their head!** "

"What?" Stanford demands. "How could you-"

"It was the only thing I could do to keep him from breaking the Rift! It's our only chance so are you going to play or am I gonna have to do it for us?!"

"Fine..." Stanford follows his brother into the woods with a downtrodden look on his face.

This is the only time that Stanley wishes desperately that he loses a game of Russian Roulette.

Stanley stops and spins the cylinder. He turns around to face his brother and presses the gun to his head while pushing the hammer and pulls the trigger without hesitation, but much to both his disappointment and relief (instinct was very strong still) the hammer clicks into place. He tosses the gun to his brother and bites his bottom lip while praying for his brother's safety.

Stanford's got shaky hands- after all it's his first time so it's to be expected- and he pushes the hammer down and gulps.

"Breathe, Sixer, take your time," Stanley says while placing the Rift in a small nook in a tree after making sure animals are inside.

Stanford nods and presses the gun to his temple and pulls the trigger.

 _Click!_

Stanford trembles with relief and Stanley walks forward and takes the gun from his brother's hand and holds the gun to his temple.

" **This is getting intense!** " Bill says with his voice quivering in excitement.

"I'm sorry for everything, Stanford... for the project, the portal, the name stealing- everything."

Stanford seems to choke up and he says, "I'm sorry for not standing up to dad and not bothering to contact you until I needed you and not telling you about Bill... and for everything... I'm a horrible brother."

Stanley shakes his head. "No you're not."

"Look who's saying that! You're willing to kill yourself for me! And I'm doing noth... nothing to stop you," Stanford sobs.

Stanley hugs his brother with one arm and gulps. "Shh, shh... you're not a horrible brother... you just realize that the kids are more important and that for them to be okay I have to die."

"I-I love you, Stan," Stanford whimpers as he clings to his brother and Stanley forces his brother off of him and backs away and presses the gun onto his temple.

Stanley smiles. "Love you, too, 'Ford... tell the kids I love them, too," he murmurs before he pulls the trigger and his eyes widen at the click. "No..."

Stanford takes the gun and gulps. "I-I guess we've got some more."

Three more. Stanley prays that the one after this round is the one with the bullet. He has to die- this was his only chance to redeem himself and keep everyone safe.

His prayers go unanswered and his luck- unfortunately- holds out. It's Stanford that ends up with a bullet in his head and on the ground. His entire being aches and he drops to his knees while crying over his brother's body. He'd tried so hard to rig it so he'd die- he tried so hard to make sure that it was him, but it was a gamble no matter what. He gambled with his and his brother's life and he just threw away the life of one of the most important people in his life and he threw away the lives of everyone.

(A/N: I'm writing the most heart wrenching thing I've ever written before and then _Living For the Love of You_ by the Isley Bros. comes on... in what world does that work?!)

 _This can't be happening, it's a nightmare, it_ has _to be,_ Stanley thinks while sobbing.

Bill takes over his body and despite the tears still falling he grins and says, " **It's not a nightmare, b** **ub, it's the real thing! Figures you'd ruin your brother's life to the very end of it!** "

Stanley, though not in control of his body, still sobs and cries on the inside- he's killed his brother and he's the cause of the destruction of the entire world.

And it's his burden to live with for the rest of eternity.

* * *

HAT: Why... why am I doing this. I killed my absolute favorite character in the previous chapter and now I've killed my third/fourth favorite character and sent my favorite character into despair... I'm terrible. And on top of that, I'm planning an entire AU based solely on this chapter. Ugh!

Soos: Sometimes the ones we love most are the ones we unintentionally destroy.

HAT: Dude, I love you like a brother, but that's not helping.

Soos: *shrugs* Sorry dude, just... just said the first thing that popped up into my head.

HAT: Well, yeah, that's what you're best at.

Soos: Also, review dudes!

(I'm just sitting here with my forehead resting on my forehead and thinking "What... have I done?" I'm sorry for adding most angst and tragedy to this fandom- I'll write something humorous and fluffy to counter it, I promise!)


	5. Chapter 5

HAT: Last chapter because I can't bring myself to do an alternate version where the other dies- it would be waaaay too repetitious. So, enjoy... iiiif you can... y'know, since... yeah, I'm gonna shut up now.

 **Disclaimer: Aside from the random OCs I put in and the plot, I don't own anything.**

* * *

This is all his fault.

He should've talked out the problems instead of using his fists like he naturally does. He shouldn't have fought so hard to prove a point that was probably in the wrong anyway. There were a lot of things that he should and shouldn't have done, but none of that's what happened and now the world's going to end because of him... because he messed up and now his brother's possessed and has the Rift- the damned thing that could destroy the world if broken.

" **You messed up, Fez,** " Bill says in his brother's body, turning the rift in his hand. " **And to think, this couldn't have been possible if you hadn't pushed your brother over the edge- hat's off to ya!** "

Stan clenches his fists and glares at Bill- what can he do to get him to hand over the Rift? What desperate trick can he pull out of his sleeve- because- let's face it- he's absolutely, positively in desperate need of some plan to fall out of the sky and land in his lap. Sadly, nothing comes up, so he has to stall.

"Why? Why do all of this?" Stanley demands.

" **Why? Now that's something I like to answer with one of your meatbag sayings. Why not?!** "

 _You monster,_ the large man thinks. _C'mon, think, think, thinkthinkthinkthink!_

"Let's play a game- winner takes all!" Stanley shouts as the only idea comes to mind. "You win, you get world domination, I win, I get the Rift and you never bother this dimension ever again."

It's not the best idea, but it's the only idea he's got and he's not looking forward to it. This could backfire majorly and it will also be the worst thing he's ever done in gambling. He's only done it so many times and he knows that that he's going to regret it, but what other options does he have when it comes down to it? The creepy, floating tortilla chip had won and there was only this that he could think of on such short notice and with the odds not in their favor to begin with.

" **A game? What game?** " Bill asks with interest.

Stanley gulps and says, "Russian Roulette."

And immediately Stanford's- _Bill's_ eyes light up with interest. " **Oh, I like that game! Let's play**!"

The conartist goes and gets the nearest revolving gun and empties the bullets until there's only one left and then he spins it and snaps it back into place. After several breaths he turns to face Stanford- _no, Bill_ \- and narrows his eyes. The kids could walk in at any moment and he doesn't want them to see the end result- it isn't going to be pretty for whoever loses.

"We play out in the forest," Stanley grunts.

" **Ah, ah, ah, Fez. We play where I wanna play and I wanna play riiiight here, in the kitchen.** "

 _You sick, twisted bastard,_ Stanley thinks with a silent snarl. "At least put the kids in the upstairs attic closet so that they can't get out until after it's all said and done."

Bill snaps Stanford's fingers and he hears two surprised shouts and then a loud slam of the door. " **Now, let's get started , Fez!** "

With a sigh Stanley walks into the kitchen and places the gun on the table in between them and flips a coin as he sits down across from his demon possessed brother. "Heads or tails?"

" **Tails!** "

And lo and behold, it was tails. He'd been hoping that this all-seeing, all-knowing things was fake, but already there's sweat dripping down his neck as he takes the gun.

It never gets any easier playing this game, to be honest. There's nothing enjoyable about the game, but he can say one thing- the relief that he feels when he comes out as the winner is the best feeling in the entire world. It's a certain high that he can't reach any other way and he tries to avoid that high whenever possible.

With a few deep breaths, he manages to get muzzle of the gun to his temple- he hates the feel of the cool metal pressed against his hot, sweat covered temple.

One click. The hammer's down.

 _One, one, two, two, three, three, four,_ Stanley thinks before he pulls the trigger and hears the magical sound of the hammer slamming back into place.

He can't place what disturbs him most in what happens in the next two seconds. How Bill doesn't hesitate in the possibility of shooting his head and doesn't even flinch when the trigger's pulled or how Bill seemsto smile knowingly at himas he places the gun back on the table- like he's seen Stanley's death here and now. It's disturbing to say the least.

 _My turn..._ Stanley ushes the hammer down and repeats the process and- thankfully- the hammer clicks harmlessly back into place.

Bill puts the trigger to Stanford's head and says, " **Whatever happens is your fault.** "

Another godforsaken click.

 _Shit..._ If the next one doesn't end it all, then the world's doomed.

 _Are you willing to give up your brother for the sake of the world when you already put the world in danger just to get himback?_

He hesitates a moment. He'd given up so much for the sake of his brother- is he willing to make everything he sacrificed allfor nothing?

But then he thinks of the twins upstairs and his employees that probably have no idea that their worlds may come crashing down because he'd decided to give them the day off. They're counting on him to not let death and destruciton tear apart their lives.

This thought strengthens him and the hammer clicks into place. He dares to hope a little bit- something that he often doesn't do. He prays that it's this bullet that ends all this chaos in his and his kid's lives.

As soon as Stanford's finger pulls the trigger there's a loud bang and he slumps immediately. Stanley first sees Stanford's eyes changed from sick amusement to pure and utter pain and those eyes were _Stanford's_ in the last second.

Stanley hears Bill's words and he realizes that if he hadn't _screwed up_ , none of this would have happened. His brother- who he worked thirty _years_ to get back wouldn't be dead right now because of the risky game he decided to play and his kids wouldn't have lost their great uncle. He screwed up _again_ for his brother al the way up until the very end.

And that's when he breaks down in tears. He hunches over the table and covers his mouth with his hands to muffle the sounds of his sobs. He doesn't know how long he sits there and cries before e puses himself out of his seat and begins to clean up the mess, but even when cleaning he's sobbing the entire time. He cleans his brother up as best he can so if the kids _do_ come down before he's done, he doesn't look as bad.

 _It's all my fault- why am I such a screw up? Can't I do one thing_ right?!

He feels something on his shoulder- a familiar six-fingered hand- and turns around with hope budding up in his heart, but when he sees nothing there, he breaks down again, curling into a ball against the kitchen counter. He tries to be as quiet as possible- mindful of the twins being upstairs- but a few sobs are louder than others. It takes a while, but eventually he does calm down enough again and he sets to burying his brother's body.

When he reenters the house he immediately tries to clean himself up in the kitchen, rubbing water over his fingers and rubbing the droplets into his eyes so that the water sooths them and-hopefully- makes them less red, but he knows the puffyness is another story.

With a sigh he goes upstairs and unlocks the attic door and opens it slowly and sees the twins sulking on the bed with each other and when they look up, they look both happy and sad.

The two of them had heard the sobs of their great uncle- it was the only noise aside from the furious cleaning that they could hear in their temporary prison. They'd known that one of their grunkles had died, but they had no idea which one. So when they see their Grunkle Stan, they're relieved- not only was he okay, but Bill was no longer a threat- but they were grieving over the loss of their Great Uncle Stanford.

"Hey, kids," Stanley says with athick voice and offers a small smile that doesn't fully reach his eyes. "You two okay?"

Without saying anything the two of them run forward and hug their great uncle- if anyone's suffering more than them, it's definitely Stanley Pines.

"We're fine, what about you?" Dipper asks, Mabel nodding in agreement with her."

"Fine," he lies while smoothing Mabel's hair and rubbing Dipper's back.

There's not much for peaceful sleep with the Pines family that night... or anytime after that, but so long as they have each other, they can make it through this just like they've made it through everything else that summer.

* * *

HAT: Not the best ending, but it wraps things up nicely, I suppose... -_- I still have a bit of trouble writing the endings to anything... GAH! That was so painful!

Gideon: Ya didn't have to write it.

HAT: I know but I did anyway- and y'know another effed up thin I thought up last night for chapter four?

Gideon: Ah feel like ah'm gonna regret this, but what?

HAT: What if Stanford hesitated and Stanley told his brother to run back to the kids and Bill took the gun and shot Stanford down with Stan's hand?

Gideon: *makes a face* Ah was right... why are you writin' so much angst?

HAT: *shrugs* Just this fandom,I suppose- or it's my specialty... either way.

Gideon: B'fore ya come up with anymore heart-wrenchin', d'sturbin' ideas... *turns to reader* Review, y'all.

(Ohmygoodness, that last episode- Gideon is now on my "need to see survive without too much mental damage" list)


End file.
